Buckle.



L. S. AYER.

BUCKLE.

APPLIOATION FILED maze, laos.

1,080,672 Patented Dec. 9, 1913.

cLuMBlA PLANUGRAPN c0wAsmNuTON. D. Cv

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

LUTHER S. AYER, 0F WINCHESTER, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOIMBY MESNE ASSIGN-MENTS, TO ALMA MANUFACTURING COMPANY OF BALTIMORE CITY, 0F BALTI- MORE,MARYLAND, A CORPORATION OF MARYLAND.

BUCKLE.

To all 'whom t may concern.'

Be it known t-hat I, LUTHER S. AYER, a citizen of the United States, andresident of lVinchester, in the county of Middlesex and State ofh/Iassachusetts, have invented an Improvement in Buckles, of which thefollowing description, in `*connection with the ac companying` drawings,is a specification, like letters on the drawings representing likeparts.

This invention pertains to buckles; and consists in certain features ofconstruction which contribute to make a buckle mo-re convenient in use,more effective in the performance of its gripping or biting office andmore economical in manufacture.

The character of the invention may be best understood by reference tothe accom panying drawings, which show for purposes of illustration onepracticable embodiment of the invention.

In the drawings-Figure l is a plan view of a buckle embodying featuresof this invention; Fig. 2 is a central longitudinal section on the line2-2 of Fig. l; and, Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail of the section shown inFig. 2.

The specific illustrative buckle consists of a body portion 5,preferably stamped Out to supply a transverse barrel or socket 6, whichmay be provided conveniently by forcing down some of the originally flatmaterial of the body portion and bending the same into the form of ahollow cylinder extend-` ing across the buckle. The illustrative barrel6 serves as the means of attaching the buckle permanently to the strapn, as by folding the latter over the barrel and sewing it across in thewell-known manner. The barrel is preferably bodily offset from the topplane of the buckle, in order that the overlying thickness of theattached strap may be nearly flush with the top surface of the bodyportion 5, giving a flat appear-1 ance to the buckle. The body portion 5sup-` plies also alever end 7 and a jaw S. To `co-` operate with thejaw' S is a strap-gripping i bar 9, itself preferably substantiallyinflexi-` ble, so that throughout its length it shall be capable of afirm gripping cooperation with the jaw 8. The bar 9v forms part of a U-1shaped tongue which may be merely a piece i of strong wire appropriatelybent and hav-A Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed February 26, 1908.

Patented Dec. 9,1913; Seria1No.417,961.

which permit the bar 9 to stand substantially opposite or, if desired,somewhat above the `jaw 8, while the remainder of the tongue liesbeneath the body portion 5. In order to define the normal position ofthe bar 9 with relation to the jaw S, the body portion 5 may be formedto provide stop surfaces l2, 12 against which parts 13 of the tongue mayabut or rest.

The -bar 9 is itself preferred to be substantially inflexible and thetongue is permitted to yield somewhat lengthwise of the buckle by havingthe pivot members l0, 10 inclined slightly rearwardly e. away from thejaw 8), or otherwise arranged so that a pull on the bar 9 may slide thepivot members 10, l0 axially and withdraw them slightly from the barrel`(3 to permit bodily movement of the tongue toward and from the aw S.The resiliency of the wire tongue serves to keep the pivot members l0,10 normally properly positioned in the barrel 6.

'hen desired, the jaw 8 isconcavcd, as shown, or otherwise recessed togive separated bearing surfaces to engage a strap `near its lateraledges. The concavity in the jaw 8 may serve to accommodate anenlargement or augmented thickness along the strap such, for example `asoccurs at t-he seam.

To promote security of grip on the strap, one or the other, or both, ofthe jaw 8 and the bar 9 may havev angular portions such, for example, asare illustrated in Fig. 3. As there shown, the jaw S has an angularupwardly projecting lip 18 to coperate with a lip 2O on the bar 9.

Preferably one or the other ofthe lips may be slightly rounded at itsedge to permit the other to slide readily over it and bite thereon.lVith this arrangement the gripping of a strap between the lips 1S and2O causes the strap, when pulled, to pucker or wrinkle in the rear ofthe jaws and to bear against the converging faces of the lips The stopsurfaces l2, l2 may co-ntribute to the effective coperation of the lips18 and 20, as by determining their proper relations.

The above described illustrative construction supplies an effectivesystem of lever actions contributing to the security of the I @to definethe scope of the invention, that office being delegated exclusively tothe subbuckles grip and the effectiveness of its holding` power, as willbe appreciated by those familiar with the art. rlhe permanently attachedstrap n encircles the barrel 6 and the free strap 15 has its end grippedbetween the bar 9 and the jaw S. In use, considerable pulls are exertedon both said straps in opposite directions, as indicated by the arrows,and those pulls coact to secure firm engagement of the free strap by thestrap-gripping surfaces. For example, the pull on strap n exerts a forceon the lever end 7 thereof in the direction of the arrow 16, thusconstituting the body portion 5 in effect a lever of the first-classwith its fulcrum in the axis of the barrel 6 and its acting end at thejaw 8. The lever end of the frame is curved in cross-section so that thestrap attached to the fulcral socket will exert a clamping pressure.This lever action of the body portion tends to move the jaw 8contra-clockwise in Fig. 2, z'. e. toward its initial strap-engagingrelation with the bar 9 when the strap l5 is first introduced andtightened. lVhen, however, the jaw 8 and bar 9 assume the positionsVshown in Fig. 2

the tongue or bail abuts against the stop surfaces 12, l2, whichdetermine the final strap-gripping relations of the jaws and o ppose theVdownward tendency of the jaw 8. In other words, the normal p ull uponthe strap n tends to rockthe lever end 7 and body portioncontra-clockwise, while the pull on the strap l5 tends to force the bar9 and tongue clockwise; when the tongue strikes the stop surfaces l2,19., on the body portion these opposite tendencies balance and thebuckle is held perfectly flat with its strapengaging parts in theirproper relation, determined by said stop surfaces. It is an advantage ofthe specific construction disclosed that, in creating the said rotarytendency, the respective straps act upon opposite extremities of Ythebuckle, t'. e. upon the extreme lever end 7 and upon the oppositeextremity, the bar 8; and all the rotary tendencies are about the sameaxis of the barrel 6. lVith this arrangement there is every tendency tohold the entire buckle Hat against the strap in a manner which would beimpossible if the strap n were attached to the buckle at some pointbetween the barrelV 6 and Vthe jaw 8, or, in other words, at some pointbetween the axis of movement of the tongue or barrel and thestrap-engaging aw of the body portion. With such a construction as thatjust suggested, the tendency would be to force the end 7 upwardly fromthe strap n, causing a gap between them.

lVhile the invention is not essentially limited to the specificembodiment shown in the drawings, the latter is a preferred form andpresents all the advantages supplied by the features of the invention.

No attempt has been made hereinbefore joined claims.

Claimsy l. A buckle comprising, in combination, a body-portion having ajaw recessed to provide separated strap-engaging surfaces; a U-shapedtongue providing a substantially straight inelastic strap-engagingbarextending across said separated surfaces to Icooperate with said jaw,inturned pivot-members of extensive length formed by the extremities ofthe tongue, said members being inclined rearwardly away from said jaw,substantially in the plane of the buckle; and a transverse barrel formedon the body portion to receive the pivot-members and supply thereforextended ournal bearings, whereby the pivot-members may be partlywithdrawn from said bearings under pull on the tongue, while preservingeffective pivotal support therefor.

2. A buckle, having a body portion comprising a lever end, a jaw at theopposite end formed on its outer edge with a transverse lip projectingupwardly at an angle thereto, and an intermediate transversesocket,combined with a U-shaped tongue pivotally mounted in the socket andunderlying the body portion and having upturned necks and a transversebar supported by said necks with its bottom substantially in advance ofand opposite the upper edge of the lip, the tonguebeing capableofyielding longitudinally with relation to the frame and adapted to gripa strap between its bar and the lip of the aw.

3. A buckle, having a body portion 5 comprising lever end 7, a jaw end 8provided with an upturned lip 18 extending transversely of the jaw, andan intermediate tongue-receiving means, combined with a U-shaped tonguepivoted in said-means below the body portion and having its sidesparallel with the sides of the body portion and extended beyond theupturned lip and terminating in a transverse bar in advance ofthe awend, said tongue capable of yielding longitudinally under stress of atightening strap to be engaged and at such time to be drawn intopivot-members of extensive length formed In testimony whereof, I havesigned my 10 by the extremities of the tongue, and a transname to thisspecification, in the presence of Verse barlrel formed 0131 the bdyportion to two subscribing Witnesses.

receive t e ivot mem ers an su t icrer for extencld journal bearings,ilieytonguc LUTHER S' AYER having a yielding motion in the directionlVitnesscs:

of its length as it is put under tension by thc CMAS. A. FOWLE,

strap and thereby drawn into gripping rela- LAURENGE A. JANNEY.

tion to the jaw.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C.

